Nice JoJo line-up resting two regulars against a decent pitcher… like we’re really scoring runs against greats like Gorzelanny, Wells and Lilly. Loretta’s really got a hammer – he’s like watching a righthanded JP. Guess all that rest earlier in the season wasn’t enough to keep them fresh for the stretch run what we have to keep trotting out crap.

Fortunately the Cubs are just as inept as we are at scoring runners from third with less than two outs.

And from the last thread – definitely agree with you Bear that Haeger deserves a shot a staying #5 for the rest of this season and a shot next season at it as well.

Let’s hope good Chad shows up today. Not sure why Loney is sitting out two days in a row, and if it’s because they are working on his swing, why are they working on his swing now, and didn’t in the first 1/3-1/2 if the season when he wasn’t hitting for power than either. Meanwhile, he is sitting on the bench and eventhough he is not hitting for power, he is getting his share of RBIs still. What gives?.

Happy birthday jamestyler! I’ve got less than a month before I turn the big five-oh. Not really looking forward to it much.
*
WTF is up with Loney out of the lineup two games in a row? He must really be on Torre’s s**tlist.
I’m in agreement with you nelly. The power numbers may come up short, but his RBI production is still good. Loretta proved yesterday he’s only got warning track power. Even in day games.

I can relate vl4. I have until March of next year and I am not looking forward to it either.

I wonder what the deal is with Joe sitting Loney so much lately. He was slumping, but everyone goes through those periods and I agree about the rbi’s #s being good and too much being made about the lack of power. Andre knows better than anyone what it feels like to be treated like that. Not fair.

Also, just because you hit well or don’t hit well against a particular pitcher, doesn’t mean you are going to have the same result every time. How are they supposed to work on their approach to particular pitchers that are difficult if they don’t try to work on it in real games?

That’s what I was saying yesterday about Andre vs. lefties recently, Nelly. He has struggled against them recently, but always hit them well in the past, so how will he figure it out and adjust without at bats against them? James needs at bats to work his way out of it.

I know, I know……….same thing when they say Andre doesn’t hit well against lefties. They may have been 1 for 7 against that lefty, but that one could have been a homerun. JP and Loretta don’t hit homeruns. I understand Loney doesn’t have power numbers, but he is still driving in runs. Who knows maybe James has the flu.

I also think Loney should be playing everyday. With that said, I’m disappointed that he hasn’t stepped it up and made the same kind of progress Either and Kemp have. Remember in 2007 Loney had 15 HR in 344 AB and this year so far he’s had 7 HR in 451 AB. I thought he would continue to devolpe more power but it hasn’t happened yet. I know Torre and other people have said power is over rated, but look at the HR numbers some of the other first basemen around baseball. It would be nice if the Dodgers could get that kind of production.

Yeah! I got a signon! Is hard for me to get that at the stadium. Andre was dancing Vic the Brick on the field. It was funny and they were filming it sowe should see it soon. A bunch of workers were honored prior to the game. Yeah for Ethier’s double! Check usher Leonard’s tatoo that he really bleeds Dodger blue http://www.crzblue.mlblogs.com

Get well James!
.
Happy birthday Jamestyler!
.
Felicidades en la primicia Jaime,Pepe and Fernando! I’llcatch from the 4th inning and I am taping the game both in English and Spanish.
Emmahttp://crzblue.mlblogs.com

Pretty weak. Watching on WGN and their announcers are coo-coo to finally have something positive to report.
*
On our side of things, the entire lineup is not handling pitches I’ve seen them all ( especially the guy with the hair ) punish. Who are those guys in the Dodgers uniforms?

Tough call on the play @2nd but good teams have to overcome those plays and at least score that run from 3rd. Then we’d only need 1 now to keep it going.
.
It was a close play and could of gone either way. It did look like he pulled his foot a little early but it was pretty darn close.

Sucking Ramirez is really helping the team since his return, especially considering that on any given day he’s making more money than the other eight guys on the field combined. Great call, Frank – hope your promotional ideas sink right in the garbage where you belong, BOSTON SCUMBAG!

Tough loss today, but like most of you, the hitting is not so good. We will definitely see what this team is made of in this series coming up. They have a chance to really put some distance between them and the Rox if they come out swinging the bats like they should be able to do. Let’s hope they find their bats before walking onto Coors Field on Tuesday, or it will be a very long three days in the Rocky Mountains for the Dodgers and their fans.

The Cubs avoided being swept in a four-game series in Los Angeles for the first time since 1965 while closing out their West Coast trip with a 2-5 record. They return to Wrigley Field having lost 12 of 18 overall.

Way to go Dodgers!! Disappointing and frustrating loss today. 3 out of 4 isn’t bad. Really need the offense to show up soon. With our pitching, we really need the offense to get it going to go deep into the playoffs, and fend off the G’nats and Rockies for that matter.

Billz needs to learn how to pitch. Not just throw. He is good the first couple of times thru the order, but when batters face him a third time, he’s either out of gas or has shown them everything and they tee off on him. Where’s Maddux when you need him. He could have a profound effect on Billz.

Maddux is in Cooperstown with his son at their annual champtionship tournament. We’ve been to that tournament with Michael. Vin just talked about that today. Maddux signed a ball for one of the umpires, and the umpire put it into his pocket with the rest of the balls he was using for the game. When he realized he used that ball, he thought no big deal, one batter. That batter hit a homerun, and the tradition is if you hit a homerun, you keep that ball. So, whichever 12 year old hit that ball, got an extra bonus…………a ball signed by Greg Maddux.

I think Honeycutt can do too much for Bills and still Bills have problem and if Honeycutt is the problem would the team ERA be in the bottom 2 and not tied with the Giants thanks to last night game from the Rockies? Maybe we can steal Dave Duncan from the Cardinals..

I’m Happy…I like the potential I see in our team as a whole.
Pitching….some guys have step it up recently…we just need some dependability from here on out…..We can and will get it done!!! Our offense, they aren’t gonna get left behind…They will get some positive energy flowing and start producing at an accelerated rate…I HAVE FAITH!!!
.
There is the Victory Flask…which we all enjoy……
.
There is also the shots of Tequila that justplaindisgusted, brings to the table…..It is all good and I have had ice cream everyday so………Smile and Have a Little Faith…. Ya All… and have a great night and great day tomorrow!!!
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OUYptpCQJ8
.
GO DODGERS!!!!!!!
BRING THE RING TO L.A. IN 2009
.
Good Night and God Bless Everyone :-)

Good Morning ITDland ~ A day off is just what the doctor ordered to help rejuvinate our offense. Going into Coors Field tomorrow will make our bats explode with the power I know our guys have.
.
Good to meet you Justplaindrinking :). You can hang out with Justplaindisgusted and Justplaindisgruntled! LOL

I didn’t catch much of yesterday’s game, decided to go to the Movie Theater instead, since those trips are rare for me lately (maybe almost as rare as a Dodgers loss to the Cubs since October).

Only an hour and 30 minutes before we get to find out which way Colorado’s half game will swing. I was kinda disappointed when we let Tracy go… everything seemed to be clicking, and since when has a successful LA Dodgers manager had to be previously known to succeed. Can’t be too surprised, knowing the 21st century Dodgers owners’ attention spans are as fleeting as Kato Kaelin’s time in the limelight.

But I helped bring the bad karma that’s resulting in Jim Tracy being within breating distance of our long-held 1st place lead. Did I root against him when he was in Pittsburgh? Yeah, a few times. Did I revel in Pittsburgh’s futility under his reign? Definitely. Did I think he’d make an impact when named to helm Colorado? About the same impact Glenn Hoffmann had on the Dodgers. Did I make a conscious effort to make fun of Jim Tracy’s habit of asking himself questions in interviews? No comment.

Glad to hear from someone. Could it be quiet because pretty much everything that can be said about the current state of the Dodgers has been said? Certainly the writers are not coming up with anything much different than what many here have said. The reality is the Dodgers are not very good right now and no one except the players can do much of anything about it. The good at bats from earlier in the season have been replaced by bad at bats. The lack of power that Joe Torre said earlier was not important has become important. Perhaps the pitching they are seeing is better now but the fact that the Rockies beat Lincecum and the Dodgers couldn’t says a lot about why the Rockies are closing in on the Dodgers.

By the way, I heard something interesting on the Dodger radio pre-game show. Rick Monday was interviewing Larry Bowa and the subject turned to how hitters prepare for pitchers. Bowa said when he played he did keep notes on pitchers but mostly about pitchers who gave him the most trouble. He also said he kept aware of who the opposing pitcher was going to be days in advance and prepared accordingly. Bowa then said today’s players do watch a lot of video but then he said often a player will come in for that day’s game and ask who is going for the opposition.

I also agree with T.J. Simers (does that take some courage to admit!) about Manny being affected by the suspension and current slump even if Manny denies it. Manny is affected by something and yesterday was the first game I can honestly say I don’t think Manny gave it his all in the outfield. I know Manny wants to win and do well but clearly he is struggling and the opposition is taking advantage of it. Hopefully Coors will give a lift to Dodger hitters but Coors is not the same place with the humidified balls. I also am not so sure the Dodgers benefit by the day off today since they played so flat after their last day off.

NSB, I agree Jim Tracy is a decent guy and maybe a decent manager. It is ironic he is now managing a surging team ready to take down the Dodgers. I have high hopes that does not happen.

Something to think about. The Dodgers could have signed Abreu or Dunn for relative peanuts compared to the huge contract they gave Manny, even when no one else was really interested in him. So here’s how the three of them are doing:

KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHER[::BEEEEEEEP::]!
(based on the MC5, of course)

YEAH, GO DODGERS, KICK EM OUT!!

Well, They feel feel pretty good cruisin’ Elway’s neighborhood
Get crazy now, baby!
‘Cause it’s time for the Blue to start getting a clue
Don’t get lazy now, baby

We know you want it, Dodgers, the prize within sight
We wanna see you going wild on that Novemeber night
If you know where you stand… You’ve got to…
KICK OUT THE JAMS!!!
Yeah, KICK OUT THE JAMS
GO ON, KICK ‘EM OUT!!!

The Young Guns, they don’t sweat, taking cues from the vets
What a feeling!
Optimism abounds and resounds and rebounds
off the ceiling

But if you want it Dodgers, don’t wanna be without
If you have that feeling you gotta sock ‘em out
Put the bat in your hands, at Coors you better
KICK OUT THE JAMS!!!
Yeah, KICK OUT THE JAMS
GO ON, KICK ‘EM OUT!!!

So Bristol’s given up, and T.J. won’t shut up
As it should be
Their kind words made you insane, got caught up in your brains
Now you’re frenzied

Who needs to be Power Ranked number 1?
October’s the time to get it done
Say “Let me be who I am”
You’ve got to KICK OUT THE JAMS!!!
Yeah, KICK OUT THE JAMS
GO KICK THOSE ROCKIES OUT!!!

Unless there is a massive comeback, looks like the Rox will be 4 back! Hopefully they’ll be 7 back when we get done with them!
.
.
.
Also looks like we aren’t facing Cook, who seems to do pretty well against us. Let’s go Blue!!!

Unbelieveable!!! Jon Miller stole jhall’s word. I think the best line from him after that crack of the bat………..”That is not good folks” because he knew that ball was gone. Well, to expect help from the gnats should never be expected. So, it’s up to the Dodgers to get things done themselves. This series will definitely show if this team has got what it takes to get us into October and beyond.

I was blissfully unaware of the games’ ending until catching sportscenter 15 minutes ago. I then graced my girlfriend’s ears with a string of swears directed at the Rockies and Giants that would make Ralphie’s old man from A Christmas Story proud.

Good morning ITD Blogmates.
.
Ibirken said “but then he (Bow)said often a player will come in for that day’s game and ask who is going for the opposition. ”
.
I wonder who these players are. I am upset reading this seeing as how lethargic they have been lately with their hitting. And if I was a pitcher I’d be more upset.
Emmahttp://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

I had thought of this game as a “gut check” and in reality, it is. It’ll give us an idea how things sit with the boys. Then I got to looking ahead at the schedule at all those games with the Pads, D-backs, giants, and the final three with the Rocks. There’s no reason to think this will not go down to the wire, with those final three games at the Stadium. None of these teams are going to lay down for us or anybody else. I think it will be a dog fight right down to the end

I guess I learned a lesson today. After 13 innings of a 1-1 game, I saw that the Gnats scored three runs in the top of the 14th and figured the game was as good as over, so I went to bed. Then I didn’t hear about the final outcome until I was in my car this morning – almost drove off the road.

Well the Rockies are going to attack us the way we attacked the D-Backs last year. I just hope that we go in with the same energy Dodger’s had when they attacked the D-backs last year We just need to step on the gas petal and smoke the Rockies. That way when Dodgers look at their rear-view mirror they see a tiny pebble and no ROCKies!

I am glad you didn’t drive off the road and crash Crash. You don’t often get to use that word back to back like that :)

knouffbrock – We never have it easy against the Padres, the gnats are just the gnats………they are always a problem, and then the Rockies are just hot right now. The dbacks are a toss up at this point, probably depends on who is pitching for them. So, to say the schedule is easy………..the Dodgers never do anything the easy way. If anything these last few years have taught us anything, it’s that………..don’t assume anything is going to be easy when it comes to the Dodgers.

I am glad the series with the colorado and giants ended the way it did. It just means that one team has sunk really down to the bottom. 7 games out for the giants to be exact.
So all the dodgers have to do is sweep the colorado and sink them down to the bottom. I know is sounds easy, but the dodgers are the better team.
Another comment that i would like to make is that i am getting sick to my stomach everytime i see in the late innings people swinging away with no outs and people on base. Sunday’s game: 1st and second no one out,in the 8th inning. They let Loretta swing away and eventually flied out to short stop. That is a bunt situation, especially down by two runs. Russell martin has to hit the bench is doing nothing to help out the team. And if Rafael Furcal does not pick it up, we are in big trouble offensively. He has been the biggest disapointment this season.

carcyn,
Agree about Furcal and I think he knows it and is the reason why he is trying too hard. If he is not producting I don’t want him leading off until he can prove otherwise.
emmahttp://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

Like others here, I checked the score of the Rockies game to see that they were down by a few runs in the top of the 14th inning. I left being confident that we would have a four game lead going into the series tonight.
Now that it is only three games and we are playing lousy while the Rocks are on fire, we better do something fast.
Where have our bats gone? I don’t know if a Lasorda type profanity laced tirade will do any good but something has to occur to get the luck back on our side.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.